John Schulman, a Co-Founder of OpenAI and a key figure in the development of its AI technologies, has departed from the company to join rival AI startup Anthropic. Schulman’s move follows the announcement of Greg Brockman, OpenAI's President and Co-Founder, taking an extended leave until the end of the year to recharge after nine years at the firm. Additionally, Peter Deng, a Product Manager who joined OpenAI in 2023, has also left the company. Schulman expressed that his decision to leave was motivated by a desire to focus more intensively on AI alignment—the field dedicated to ensuring that artificial intelligence systems behave as intended—by collaborating with like-minded researchers at Anthropic.
OpenAI, founded in 2015, is recognized for its commitment to advancing artificial intelligence technologies and responsible AI practices, notably with the development of the ChatGPT platform. Anthropic, a competing firm, is known for its emphasis on AI safety and alignment research. Schulman’s departure reduces the number of original OpenAI founders from 11 to three, leaving CEO Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Wojciech Zaremba. Schulman has been instrumental in shaping OpenAI's research direction, particularly in alignment science, and his contributions have significantly impacted the organization’s foundational work.
